Davis, Conant surge past Deerfield
By Ryan Davis' own estimation, the 6-foot-9 Conant senior had a lousy first half at Deerfield on Saturday night.
Davis shot 1 of 6 from the field and just 4 of 10 from the free throw line, scoring 7 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Yet the Cougars still led 22-18 at the halftime break. And in the second half, when Davis got down to business, it was Deerfield left feeling lousy.
Davis, a Vermont recruit, scored 22 of Conant's 27 second-half points in a 49-42 nonconference win over the Warriors. He finished his double-double with 16 rebounds, a blocked shot and 2 assists to go with his 29 points.
"I just kind of put that first half out of my mind," said Davis. "I just could not let the first half affect how I had to play in the second half. I just forgot what happened in the first half and then trusted my abilities."
The Cougars broke out to a 10-0 lead in the first five minutes. The Warriors (2-6) were able to narrow the lead to 11-7 at quarter's end.
Deerfield got as close as 16-15 with 2:27 left in the second quarter on Jackson Kenyon's putback, but could draw no closer.
Anthony Wachal (8 points) scored, Davis hit a free throw and Joe Arriaga hit a 3 to give Conant a 22-15 lead before the Warriors' Alex Casieri hit a 3 just before the first half ended.
Conant kept the lead between 6 to 8 points through most of the second half. Deerfield stayed in the game by connecting on 5 of its 9 three-point shots.
Davis personally outscored the Warriors 7-3 to help build a 45-33 lead with 2:10 left. Casieri (11 points) scored, and Myles Baer (9 points) hit consecutive baskets to make it 45-39 with 1:03 to go.
Davis scored on an assist from Ben Schols with :55 left for a 47-39 lead, snuffing out the Deerfield rally.
"He lets the game come to him," said Deerfield coach Dan McKendrick of Davis. "His footwork has improved and he is able to find other teammates when he's covered up. He's a quality player."
"Davis was just a beast tonight," said Conant coach James Maley. "He was very tough to try to stop tonight. He draws a lot of attention, and he's able to find other players who might be open. Even if we miss, there's a good chance that Ryan will get the rebound."
A loss in Conant's MSL West debut at Palatine on Dec. 2 turned out to be helpful for the Cougars.
"After the loss to Palatine, we held a team meeting," said Davis. "Everyone started lifting each other up, and the confidence started to come. It was a good thing."
It was a good week for the Cougars on two fronts.
Conant won all three of its games this week, and Raj Mittal, who has missed the first few weeks with a foot injury, played both Friday and Saturday.
"After we lost to Palatine," said Maley, "I think it got their attention. We won all three games and we had really good practices. Sometimes you need a loss to get a team's attention."
Mittal is eager to start contributing.
"This team is now on a roll and I want to be there to keep it going," said Mittal. "I'm slowly getting back into it, and more practice time will only help. As I get back into the flow of the games, I'll start looking for my shot."
Palatine 41, Northridge Prep 38: The host Pirates picked up a nonconference win by jumping out to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter and hanging on as Northridge Prep got back in it with a much better second half.
Joe Thursby scored a game-high 19 points for Northridge Prep. He had a pair of 3s and 11 points in the third quarter, when the Pirates were outscored 16-9.
Jake Moertl led Palatine with 13 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line in the fourth quarter. His three field goals were all 3s.
Johnny O'Shea finished with 11 points, and Lamon Berry had 8, with a pair of 3s in the big first quarter for Palatine (5-3).
Hersey 42, Glenbrook South 38: The Huskies bounced back from a Friday loss with a nonconference victory over the Titans in an afternoon game played at the United Center. Hersey improved to 3-5 overall.